What if I don't chamfer and debur after trimming .223/5.56 brass???

[FROGO207]

Why doesn't the OP make some up without the extra work and see how they go together and shoot. Then try some with the extra steps. We have given good advice both pro and con for his consideration. Then HE will know if it is worth it time and accuracy wise to him. I had a lot of crushed 223 shoulders by cutting out those two easy steps. Now I do it always.

 

[gamestalker]

Like Frogo207 said, reaming and chamfering is an integrated part of my process. Few things would irritate me more than shaving a good bullet during seating, or crushing a case, or having feeding problems.

I even give new brass a quick touch up to assure none of the above issues should present. Skipping steps might save a little time, but at what cost?

GS

 

[Sunray]

Makes bullet seating easier and keeps the wee bit of brass that will break off out of your rifle's innards. Doesn't require a high priced machine to do the job of an $5(unless it says RCBS on it) tool.

 

[243winxb]

Why Chamber & Debur?

THE CASE MOUTH WAS NOT DEBURRED. THIS MAY PLACE CHIPS OF BRASS IN THE SIZING DIES NECK, SCRATCHING THE BRASS. Lupua 30-06 brass. ANOTHER CAUSE If you get any black "soot" deposits, on you necks, be sure to clean it off before using the full length or neck sizing dies. The "soot" is carbon, the hardest substance on earth. It will scratch dies. Not sure if this RCBS die was subject to carbon, as the marks seem to be inside the neck also?? I have heard of the expander button getting brass on it, causing damage. Why not carbon also??

[/URL][/IMG] RCBS dies are not as hard as you think.

 

[Potatohead]

243win,
I notice you often back up your posts with facts that are sourced, or copied and pasted from a source. That is pretty cool. Are you a lawyer or something?

 

[W.E.G.]

Classic sign of the expander ball being mal-adjusted (too high) such that the ball engages the INSIDE of the case neck at the same time the die engages the OUTSIDE of the case neck.

Has nothing to do with whether the case has been trimmed or not.

 

[243winxb]

W.E.B. , that was my first thought, if using a Forester product, but if i remember correctly it was an RCBS FL die. Potatohead, no lawyer, something else. (retired).. Forester die shown, see expander.

RCBS is different.

 

[kutter]

Buy one of these to trim and problem solved.

http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

 

[jmorris]

Classic sign of the expander ball being mal-adjusted (too high) such that the ball engages the INSIDE of the case neck at the same time the die engages the OUTSIDE of the case neck.

Has nothing to do with whether the case has been trimmed or not.

Not to mention, if you trim before you resize the case you are not doing the operations in the correct order.

It would be pointless to trim to any length before you resize.

 

[Potatohead]

Potatohead, no lawyer, something else. (retired)

Yea I wouldnt admit it either






kiddin!

 

[4895]

If you buy a Gracey trimmer, you can trim, chamfer, and debur all in one step. It's worth considering if you plan to shoot .223 much. They can be setup for additional calibers, or a caliber of your choice for a reasonable fee.

 

[RuggedAK]

I have always chamfered and deburred 223 cases. I do not know what will happen if you skip this step. I have heard it will case the copper jacket on the bullet to scrape off causing the bullet to be less accurate. It also seems that feeding would become an issue. The brass overhang from trimming might get stuck on your feed ramps. All I know is chamfering and deburring is an important step and the Hornady Lock N Load case prep trio makes this step really easy and quick.

 

[plodder]

I use the Dillon 1200 case trimmer for .223 and I would really, really like it if they would come up with a 3 in 1 cutting head for it. Chamfering the case mouths is my least favorite part of reloading.

Yes, I know it only takes about 5-10 seconds to chamfer a case, but when like me you don't case prep until you've got a batch of 2-3000, 5 seconds x 3000 is considerable time commitment. Worse yet is the finger & hand cramping that sets in after passing a hundred or so cases across the RCBS case prep center.

 

[valleyforge.1777]

Thanks for all of the advice.

I am getting set up this weekend to start loading .223 I will do it without the chamfer and deburr steps and see how it goes. If it is not satisfactory, then I'll get a hand tool to use for now and then buy one of the case prep centers, probably that Frankford Arsenal one.

I'm going to be setting up the RT1200 trimmer and I still have to figure out if I can set it so that, for example, any case going through will come out at 1.750 regardless of pre-trim size (so, some will not get trimmed at all if already 1,750 or shorter) and yet they all will still get full-length re-sized by the trimmer/sizer die that is integral to the RT1200? Not sure about that yet.

Not new to reloading ammo. Just new to reloading .223. Anyway, I asked for advice, got some that I liked and some I did not like, but I needed to hear both sides, so thanks to everyone.

I think these are the steps, in order:
1. range pick up brass (some is mine, some from other
shooters) gets tumbled in corn cobb media, then separated from the media.
2. Lube the cases (I'll be using Dillon's case lube).
3. Load the case feeder hopper, and have the Dillon .223 re-sizer/deprimer in station one on an XL650 progressive loader. Probably will turn the die back an extra half turn from where it contacts the shell plate with a case in the die so that it does not completely re-size.
4. RT1200 trimmer/resizer set up in station three, with the proper adjustments for proper re-sizing, checked with a Dillon .223 case gauge. Trimmer (hopefully) set to make all brass a uniform length of 1.750
5. Run the brass through the press, then take the cases out and run each one through my Dillon 600 super swager thingie. Then tumble again to remove the case lube. (Not sure, do I swage the primer pockets first and then tumble to remove lube, or tumble and then swage the primer pockets?)
6. then, with a second tool head, set up the press with primer seating and powder measure / funnel assembly in Station Two, powder check in station three, bullet seating in station Four, and bullet taper crimp in Station Five.

I'll be using Win 748, range pick up brass, either CCI small rifle primers or Win small rifle primers. Shooting in an AR-15 rifle.

 

[FROGO207]

FYI Be aware if using standard primers there is a possibility of slamfires using an AR15 when you let the bolt drop. You need to use mil spec primers with the harder cups to make sure this does not happen. The plated CCI would be a better choice if using what you already stock.

 

[Walkalong]

Both of my sons are just starting reloading. I gave them 500+ range brass each, along with a small tool to check them internally, and told them to do these things. (I loaded their first 500.)

1. Check each internally for a rut. Scrap any that do.

2. Size them, using a Wilson gauge to set up the sizer. (They are already tumbled.)

3. Tumble to remove most of the lube.

4. Trim them. (Possum Hollow trimmer driven by small lathe.)

5. Chamfer and deburr them. Chamfer/deburr tool driven very slowly on lathe.

6. Tumble them.

 

[Potatohead]

Walkalong,
You stressed "very slowly" for the chamfer/deburr on the lathe. Is it bad to run fast? Because Ive been chucking my chamfer unit into the drill and using it on the higher of the 2 speeds that my drill has. Hope Im not over-chamfering.

 

[4895]

Again, consider the cost vs. time investment when reloading for a semi-auto rifle. You may see the justification to save for a Gracey trimmer. All this trimming and chamfering is fine when you have a bolt rifle and only shoot a few boxes every couple of months. When you hand the rifle over to the better half and they don't stop pulling the trigger until it "won't shoot bullits" anymore, you might just gasp when you realize all of the time you put into making those 30 rounds of ammo. With a Gracey trimmer, you simply resize your brass, clean off any excess lube, then turn the trimmer on (it headspaces the brass from the shoulder) and it will trim, chamfer, and debur all in a matter of seconds. Very quickly done, less wear and tear on your hands, no carpel tunnel surgery, and affordable. You should be able to trim 500 cases in about 2 hours or less. No problem.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDOqEI5TKo

 

[spitballer]

Oh man. It would never occur to me to seat bullets after trimming without at least a small chamfer. Especially when you can get the hand-helds for a couple of bucks.

 

[ironworkerwill]

To potato head: High speed causes the cutter to chatter.

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks.

 

[Walkalong]

And will cut too much in a hurry. Two good reasons for going slow with it. The only way to do it more smoothly and more consistently is to do it by hand.

 

[Potatohead]

gotcha, thanks.